Juicing up the argument
By Selwyn Duke
web posted December 13, 2004
The big story in baseball right now is not home-runs but drug
runs, with the revelations about steroid use by Barry Bonds,
Jason Giambi and Gary Sheffield. It was not a story that
interested me too much, since my assumption was that everyone
would pay lip service to how wrong it was and then promptly do
nothing about it. Such is the pattern in America, given our
laissez-faire morality.
But then I listened to Rush Limbaugh and, lo and behold, even
the lip service was on the bench, side by side with the
accountability. For he was conjuring up justifications for such
behavior, complete with quotations from sports writers who have
followed suit.
One argument that has been propounded is that this is just
another example of athletes doing their utmost to reach for the
stars. After all, "What is natural?," ask these dime store
philosophers. Athletes work out using modern training techniques
and high-tech exercise equipment; is that natural? They may
ingest protein shakes and a trove of other supplements; is that
natural? Should sports organizations proscribe the use of these
things? Where do you draw the line? Well, there's no denying,
this is a valid question that demands a valid answer.
So, I set myself to pondering the issue. Now, what would occur
to most is that you cannot equate supplements, high-tech
equipment and modern training techniques, which offer life-
enhancing benefits, to steroids, which are undeniably deleterious
to one's health. And I do concur, but that doesn't quite illuminate
the issue. After all, that provides an excellent argument in favor
of prohibiting steroid use on the basis of health concerns, but
that's not the point of the question. The question is, how are the
performance-enhancing qualities offered by steroids contrary to
the spirit of sports when those offered by other measures are
not?
Okay, I'd like to pose a question of my own: to what can one
attribute the majority of the performance differences between
men and women in sports? Answer: to what you could call
naturally occurring steroids – namely, testosterone. After all,
prior to puberty, at which point copious amounts of "Vitamin T"
start coursing through a boy's veins, not much separates the
sexes in the arena of sports. But that chemical is what separates
the men from the boys; it's what transforms a lad into a man. No
mere amino acid or regimen or Nautilus machine will effect that
sea-change, making this factor integral to who and what we are.
Thus, the equivalency that has been drawn between these two
categories of self-improvement methods is a false one.
Next, I'd like you to ponder the subject of what makes great
human achievement a sight to behold. Now, to kickoff this
discussion, I'm going to put forth an admittedly fanciful
hypothetical. Imagine that in the future we develop drugs that will
enable you to become strong, powerful and lean without
touching a barbell, drugs that will make you indefatigable without
your having to do endurance training. Coupled with this, let's say
we develop the capacity to hook someone up to a computer and
infuse him with all the great skill and experience of the most
seasoned prodigy, a la The Matrix. We would then have athletes
and artists who would have tapped the upper limits of human
potential, individuals who would have achieved the highest levels
of mastery without lifting a finger. Now, I put it to you, would
you be interested in watching these programmed organic robots
ply their trades? I know, I know, perhaps it's a bit far-fetched.
But taking thinking to its logical conclusion serves to shine the
light of truth on a position, vindicating its logic or exposing its
fallacies.
No, I think that insofar as our marveling at those occupying the
pinnacle of their field of endeavor is legitimate, it's because we
recognize the beauty of Creation in achievement. Sure, there is
the worldly desire for titillation, which evidences itself in the
Roman Arena mentality. Here I'm speaking of the pleasure some
take in seeing racecar crashes or fights at hockey games. And
also, there's the desire for escapism, as some will worship fame,
power and celebrity and live vicariously through a sports figure
or team. But perhaps, insofar as our admiration for these
individuals is truly noble, it's because we are witnessing
something ethereal. We may watch Tiger Woods swing a golf
club, but what is truly enchanting is not simply that he can propel
a little white dimpled ball far and often straight. After all, a
machine could do that far better. What truly captivates is to
witness Creation: the talent God has bestowed upon a man and
the man's having developed it through the proper exercise of his
free will. Therein lies sports' true beauty.
So, where do you draw the line? It's very simple: where
legitimate human striving ends and the perversion of it begins.
Unfortunately, with the undue emphasis on sports, million-dollar
contracts and the gratuitous lionizing of athletes, that line is
crossed more than it's observed. Let's not erase it completely.
Selwyn Duke lives in Westchester County, New York. He is a
tennis professional, internet entrepreneur, and writer whose
works have appeared on various sites on the Internet, including
Intellectual Conservative and Mensnet. A large number of his
works can be found at his site www.SelwynDuke.com.
Enter Stage Right -- http://www.enterstageright.com